UWEC Big Man Camp: Best of the Underclassmen

We wrap up our coverage of the UWEC Big Man Camp with a look towards the future! My coverage thus far has revolved around the incoming seniors in attendance at the premier OL/DL camp in the state. That wasn't the only class that had some legitimate ballers, through. The Classes of 2027 and 2028 also brought us some names to have on our radar for the coming years. Athletes who may have a shot at playing a very high level of football. So let's talk about what they are already showing us.    I'm becoming a fan of the Arrowhead OL more and more. We have already seen him in action twice this summer with that second time being padded. Among his peers Zach was able to stand out from the crowd with some dominant 1 on 1 reps and double team reps. I really like the way that Zach attacks with leverage. Every battle I watched from him I noted that his pads were always lower than the DL. Pair that advantage with the consistent leg drive that he showed and you get a rising OL who can drive DL out of the trenches and create that surge in the trenches that a successful run game needs. Keep an eye on the incoming junior.     Another up and coming bully in the trenches is Medford's [player_tooltip player_id='1733879' first='Forest' last='Hartl']. The 2027 already has plenty of varsity action under his belt, so I was excited to see him in person with the pads on. No surprise, Forest was at his best when he could utilize that big, overpowering frame to dominate his opponent. He was right at home in run game battles, showing that quick burst out of his stance, and instantly could turn that burst into power that bulldozed the other underclassmen out of the trenches. I'm a big fan of the violence that Hartl plays with. I'm very excited for his development and strongly urge coaches to have him on their radars early.     One of the top OL to know in the Class of 2028 is [player_tooltip player_id='1627983' first='Ethan' last='Setzer'] out of Kettle Moraine Lutheran. Ethan is already building up an impressive frame for the position, but the excitement for his size doesn't compare to how excited I get for him when the action started. The first big takeaway was in the run game battles. In those head to head fights Ethan impressed with his flexibility in his ankles and knees allowing him to get himself in positions of leverage while also utilizing his full length to maximize the power he could unload on the DL. His feet never quit either and his hands always seemed to find the inside positioning allowing him to control his opponent. This camp performance only got me more excited for the coming development of Ethan.     One of the athletes I had high on my list to watch closely was 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='1627977' first='Chris' last='Ferrario']. He debuted as one of our top OL in the state in his class following a freshman season that saw him starting on the OL while his team nearly made a run to the D1 State Championship Game. The future looks bright based off what we saw in Eau Claire. Chris is so well developed technically. Every rep we saw hands inside and constantly working to stay there. We saw a wide base and active feet that stayed balanced and kept the DL squarely in front of him. We also got to see the power that he has and the ability he has to overwhelm opponents with that nonstop motor and leg drive. The ceiling is so high for Chris. I'm pumped to watch him continue to grow and develop over the next three years.     One of the biggest risers for me among the underclassmen was Kettle Moraine's [player_tooltip player_id='1335733' first='Omarion' last='Dennis']. The incoming junior has made big strides in his technique, mobility, fluidity, and power. There is no question that the 2027 has been putting in the work. Over and over I was able to watch him bully his peers in the run game. The feet never quit powering that wide, strong base that ran over DL. Even while bringing all that power, Dennis also has the balance and foot quickness/agility to be able to correct his positioning or mirror opponents in pass protection. It was a great day for the 2027 OL.     One of the state's top 2028s continued to prove himself at the UWEC Camp with his performance. The 6' 230 lbs incoming sophomore has developed a powerful frame that is loaded up with explosive power and quickness. We saw both win him reps during the camp. Jacob is violent out of his stance, quickly getting his hands on and forcing the OL off balance. From there it was easy for Jacob to bull rush his man into the backfield. That power also earned him impressive wins vs double teams where he was able to prove his ability to take on blocks and hold his ground while fighting off multiple opponents. That power seemed to set up his speed rush moves too as OL looked to quickly get to him and Jacob would be able to make one cut aside and find an easy path into the backfield.     The offseason weight room dedication came to life for [player_tooltip player_id='1223467' first='Eli' last='Grand'] at the UWEC Big Man Camp. Eli's big frame gave him a huge advantage over his opponents. Whenever he wanted, Eli was able to dominate with his power. He was able to successfully bull rush multiple times, showing that not only does he have the overwhelming power but can also drop his pad level so that he can get underneath his foe to easily dig them out of the trenches. While a lot of his success revolved around his size and strength, Eli also showed off some nimble feet that were able to efficiently get him in the right position to win his battles. The '27 is developing into a difference maker on the interior.     Another massive bully in the trenches was Brookfield East [player_tooltip player_id='1570838' first='Brody' last='Tittl']. The huge athlete dominated vs the 27s and 28s. His size was too much for many to handle, and to make it even more unfair Brody's strength and heavy hands were able to do a lot of damage while engaged. At times Brody was tossing kids aside on his way into the backfield. The size and strength are great pieces to build his game around, and as he is able to further develop his flexibility and his feet we could see him quickly become a top athlete in this class. Brody is definitely worth keeping an eye on.     An athlete that was new to my radar, and needs to be on the radar of college coaches, is Gage Gruender of Osceola. Gage has an elite frame with even more impressive length. He carries his 260 lbs so cleanly and easily, telling me he has room to continue to fill out and develop into a potential big time talent in the trenches. At the UWEC camp you could see the traits to work with on top of the size/length. Gage was a solid athlete who is only going to get smoother as his body control further develops. Just having that big frame has also give Gage a solid base of power that he used to quickly beat opponents, but even there we see that there is so much room for more. The ceiling is very high for the 2027 DL.

We wrap up our coverage of the UWEC Big Man Camp with a look towards the future! My coverage thus far has revolved around the incoming seniors in attendance at the premier OL/DL camp in the state. That wasn't the only class that had some legitimate ballers, through. The Classes of 2027 and 2028 also brought us some names to have on our radar for the coming years. Athletes who may have a shot at playing a very high level of football. So let's talk about what they are already showing us.